Wireless communications networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources.
A wireless communications network may include a number of network devices such as access points (APs) that can support communication for a number of wireless devices. A wireless device may communicate with a network device bi-directionally. For example, in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a station (STA) may communicate with an associated AP via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the AP to the station, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the station to the AP.
In WLANs, there may be cases in which a station may desire to enter a power saving mode in which transmissions between an AP and station are reduced, allowing the station to power off a component(s), such as radio components, and thereby reduce power consumption. Existing power saving techniques may, in some cases, result in relatively long periods of time between a determination by a station to enter a power saving mode and the powering off of related components, because of related network signaling to notify and confirm power saving mode with an AP. Therefore, power conservation techniques are desirable that are simple to implement and have relatively short time periods between a determination to enter a power save mode by a station and the station entering a power conservation mode.